A still shot from footage of the clashes between Turkish security forces and protesters on Tuesday night.

D.C. Police announced that they will pursue additional charges in the melee that erupted outside the Turkish ambassador's residence in Sheridan Circle Tuesday night between protesters and guards for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

"We are going to pursue everything that's within our legal power to hold the folks that were responsible accountable for their actions," D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham said at a press conference this afternoon. "We intend to ensure there was accountability for anyone who was involved in this assault."

In a statement, the State Department identified those involved as Turkish security personnel. "Violence is never an appropriate response to free speech, and we support the rights of people everywhere to free _expression_ and peaceful protest. We are communicating our concern to the Turkish government in the strongest possible terms," spokesperson Heather Nauert said.

Newsham stopped short of identifying the assailants as Erdogan's guards, but he noted that diplomatic immunity issues may come into play. He also said the department is working with the State Department and the Secret Service to identify assailants in multiple videos of the incident.

"We have very good video. We have a good idea of some of the folks that were there on the scene. We're very comfortable that we will be able to identify most of the assailants," Newsham said.

A state-owned Turkish news agency reported that the president's security team was involved in the fighting outside the embassy, the New York Times reports. U.S. officials also confirmed to NBC News that Erdogan's bodyguards beat protesters.

The Metropolitan Police Department made two arrests on the scene. Ayten Necmi, of Woodside, New York, was arrested for aggravated assault and Jalal Kheirabaoi of Fairfax, Va. was arrested for assault on a police officer.

Newsham said that the Secret Service also arrested two more people, but it is unclear if they were charged.

Erdogan visited with President Donald Trump earlier in the day, where he received a warm welcome. A group of protesters demonstrated in Lafayette Park before heading up to the Turkish ambassador's residence near Sheridan Circle when they learned that Erdogan would make a stop there, the executive director of the Armenian National Committee of America told the New York Times.

About two dozen people were protesting, while a group of men in suits stood near the ambassador's residence. Verbal confrontations between the two groups turned to violent skirmishes, which were broken up by local and federal police officers. Videos showed armed men in suits kicking and punching protesters.

"The police involvement in that case was very dicey because there were some people up there that had firearms, and they had to safely restore order. Thankfully that was done without more significant injury," Newsham said at today's press conference. He added that MPD was investigating whether the presence of guns was in violation of D.C. law, which has tight firearms restrictions.

Nine people were transported to the hospital, one with serious injuries. The incident also caused extended road closures around Sheridan Circle during rush hour.

"They think they can engage in the same sort of suppression of protest and free speech that they engage in in Turkey," protester Flint Arthur told CNN. "They stopped us for a few minutes ... but we still stayed and continued to protest Erdogan's tyrannical regime."

It isn't the first time that the Turkish president's visit to Washington turned violent. Security guards for Erdogan clashed with protesters, journalists, D.C. Police, and staff at the Brookings Institution last March during a speech he was giving at the think tank.

Newsham said it remains to be seen how many assailants that MPD is looking for, and is asking anyone with more information or additional video footage to contact the department.

“What we saw yesterday—a violent attack on a peaceful demonstration—is an affront to D.C. values and our rights as Americans," Mayor Muriel Bowser said in a statement.

U.S. Senator John McCain tweeted, "This is the United States of America. We do not do this here. There is no excuse for this kind of thuggish behavior."

Added Newsham: "That's not something we will tolerate in Washington, D.C. This is a city where people should be allowed to come and peacefully protest."

(Washington, DC) – Today, Mayor Bowser issued the following statement regarding the violent confrontation outside of the Turkish ambassador’s house on Tuesday, May 16:

“What we saw yesterday – a violent attack on a peaceful demonstration – is an affront to DC values and our rights as Americans. I strongly condemn these actions and have been briefed by Chief Newsham on our response. The Metropolitan Police Department will continue investigating the incident and will work with federal partners to ensure justice is served.”

We Should Throw Their Ambassador the Hell Out of US,’ Says McCain of Turkish Envoy

Group of GOP Senator Joins Chorus of Condemnation over Brutal Attack of Protesters
WASHINGTON—Senator John McCain, one of the leading foreign policy voices in Congress, on Thursday urged the expulsion of Turkey’s U.S. ambassador after pro-Turkish groups brutally attacked protesters during Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s recent visit to DC. It was later revealed that members of Erdogan’s security team were involved in the bloody violence.

“We should throw their ambassador the hell out of the United States of America … This kind of thing cannot go unresponded to diplomatically,” McCain, the head of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told MSNBC in an interview on Thursday, adding that legal action could also be pursued.

McCain had earlier tweeted about the incident calling the attack “thuggish behavior.”

“This is the United States of America. We do not do this here. There is no excuse for this kind of thuggish behavior,” McCain added in his Twitter post.

Meanwhile, a group of Republican senators on Wednesday joined the chorus of condemnation of the brutal attack on demonstrators in Washington by Erdogan’s security team.

“We strongly condemn the violence that took place yesterday outside the Turkish Embassy in Washington,” the Republican senators Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Tom Cotton and Mike Lee said in a statement.

“Reports indicate that some Turkish officials were involved in assaulting protesters, which violates the most basic rules of democracy and is an affront to the United States and the value we place on the right to free speech, as embodied in our Constitution. We call upon the Turkish government to apologize immediately for the involvement of any officials,” the statement continued.

Sen. Ben Cardin also urged Turkey to apologize.

“The Turkish government owes an apology; perhaps they forgot we have unalienable rights in this country,” Cardin tweeted.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce on Wednesday sent a letter to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Attorney General Jeff Sessions urging them to examine charges against those responsible.

“Numerous news reports indicate these individuals were members of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s security detail who accompanied him on his official state visit this week. Alarmingly, this behavior is indicative of the broad crackdowns on political activists, journalists and religious freedom in Turkey that have greatly harmed Turkish democracy in recent years,” said Royce in his letter.

Rep. Adam Schiff, the ranking member on the House Intelligence Committee also voiced his strong condemnation of the attack, saying that while assaults on freedom of speech, the press, and free assembly have become tragically commonplace in Erdogan’s Turkey, such acts do not have a place in the United States.

“On Tuesday, President Trump hosted Turkish President Erdogan at the White House. Casting aside concerns about human rights abuses and the suppression of free speech in Turkey, President Trump lavished praise on this increasingly autocratic leader. President Trump’s embrace of Erdogan is another in the line of similarly warm embrace of autocrats around the globe,” Schiff wrote on Facebook.

“Just hours after the meeting at the White House, Erdogan’s security detail violently assaulted Kurdish, Armenian, Ezidi and other peaceful protesters outside the Turkish Ambassador’s residence. While we’re still learning details about what occurred, disturbing videos show members of Erdogan’s security team turning on the protesters. The Administration has thus far been conspicuously silent on this incident, but it cannot go unanswered. There must be consequences for the individuals who attacked protesters exercising their First Amendment rights, and they should be identified and questioned before they leave the country,” added Schiff.

“Assaults on freedom of speech, the press, and free assembly have become tragically commonplace in Erdogan’s Turkey. We must ensure that never becomes the case here at home,” said Schiff.

PRESIDENT TRUMP laid out the welcome mat this week for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and the strongman apparently felt so much at home he thought it okay for his thugs to beat up peaceful demonstrators. That Mr. Erdogan has unfortunately been successful in stifling dissent in Turkey doesn’t give him license to come to this country and attack one of its most basic, and cherished, freedoms. It must be made clear that this behavior is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.

A violent confrontation Tuesday evening outside the Turkish ambassador’s residence in Northwest Washington resulted in 11 people being injured. Two people were arrested and charged with misdemeanor assault, and D.C. police said Wednesday the investigation is continuing, with the possibility of other people being charged. Particular scrutiny needs to be paid to the actions of Mr. Erdogan’s security guards, who, a state-owned Turkish news service confirmed, were involved in the fighting because — can you believe the gall? — they didn’t think police were doing enough to quiet the protest.

Video and photographs of the incident show men in dark suits and ties, some holding Turkish flags, kicking and hitting protesters. Uniformed D.C. police officers at various points can be heard telling the men to back off and move across the street. According to D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham, the situation was especially “dicey” because some of the Turkish guards were armed. “What we saw yesterday — a violent attack on a peaceful demonstration — is an affront to D.C. values and our rights as Americans,” said D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D).

This is not the first time Mr. Erdogan has come to the United States and ended up bullying those who dare to disagree with his cruel regime. His appearance at the Brookings Institution during the 2016 Nuclear Security Summit was marred when his security detail roughed up demonstrators and tried to eject “undesired” journalists.

There need to be consequences. The State Department issued a relatively strong statement Wednesday saying that it was “concerned by the violent incidents” involving Turkish security personnel and that the United States is “communicating our concern with the Turkish government in the strongest possible terms.” That’s a good first step, but it is not enough. Turkish personnel instigating this violence must be identified and, if possible, prosecuted or, if shielded by diplomatic immunity, made persons not welcome in this country.

YEREVAN, MAY 17, ARMENPRESS. For more than fifteen years, two
inseparable companions stand out during Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s foreign
visits.

One of them is the Turkish autocratic leader’s bodyguard entourage,
the other – the protests of people who are objectively discontented
from this autocracy and its political consequences.

During the years, a special status quo had formed between Erdogan’s
bodyguards, who’d never stood out with civility, and the other
companion of Turkey’s autocratic leader: the protesters.

Hours ago, this balance was ultimately breached in the US capital, two
miles from the White House. Surely, the Turkish security detail had
earned a notorious reputation before that, both in the US, when they
were under media spotlight for brawling with the American Secret
Service during world famous boxer Muhammad Ali’s funeral, and by their
‘good manners’ during the Nuclear Summit, which was the reason for the
reputable Brookings Institution to cancel Erdogan’s speech at the last
moment.

In the context of this all, even the story when Erdogan’s ten-strong
bodyguard entourage was guarding the Turkish First Lady’s mini
shopping campaign in Warsaw’s stores, which increased Poland’s money
circulation with nearly two hundred thousand zlotys, fades away.

And today, Erdogan’s security did their best for Turkey to once again
appear on international headlines. But this revelation doesn’t cause
the innocent smile, which the Turkish First Lady’s shopping
companion’s status deserves.

Yesterday it was already known that Erdogan’s visit will be protested
against by organizations who question US policy for Turkey, including
the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), which said in a
statement: “It’s time to challenge Erdogan’s arm-twisting and – even
more importantly – to call out the Turkish government’s covert
campaign to hijack U.S. policy through questionable payments to
foreign agents, lobbyists, and other influence peddlers. He can start
putting American principles and priorities first by rejecting Ankara’s
gag-rule against honest U.S. remembrance of the Armenian Genocide.”

Now, it seems that this statement sounds anachronistic, due to the
reason that in addition to political pressure, Turks in the US went on
to physical pressure – charging obviously specially trained fighters
against peaceful protesters.

Erdogan, who is losing touch with reality, addressed a new message to
everyone, hinting that terror against their protestors will not be
limited solely in Turkey. And this is already a display of hidden
fears and extreme frustration. As a matter of fact, the bodyguard
entourage is the reflection of its leader’s unbalanced conduct.

Meanwhile, Turkish media are attempting to find more or less
reasonable explanations for this action which doesn’t anyhow have a
justification – the extremely brutal vengeance against nearly three
dozen people, namely elderly demonstrators, which resulted in nine
people being hospitalized.

And now it doesn’t even matter that the law enforcement of the host
country became the indirect target of this brazen attack, who, to say
the least, appeared in an awkward situation. It’s impossible to
understand how this devilish idea emerged in the minds of the
attackers or its masterminds against a group of defenseless people, it
is clear however that the footage which took over the internet -
depicting battery carried out with satisfaction - prove the very thing
which the group of US taxpayers were protesting, who gathered outside
the Turkish Embassy in Washington – two miles from the White House.

Turkish security officials were involved in Tuesday's assault of
protesters against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan outside the Turkish
ambassador's residence in Washington, two law enforcement sources tell
CNN.

The US State Department said it is "concerned by the violent incidents
involving protestors and Turkish security personnel" in a statement on
Wednesday.

"Violence is never an appropriate response to free speech, and we
support the rights of people everywhere to free expression and
peaceful protest," the statement said. "We are communicating our
concern to the Turkish government in the strongest possible terms."

A State Department official said the Turkish security that was
involved appears to be a mix of Turkish embassy and Erdogan security
staff.

But in a statement late Wednesday, the Turkish embassy claimed the
groups that assembled were "affiliated with the PKK (Kurdistan Workers
Party)" without permission and "began aggressively provoking
Turkish-American citizens who had peacefully assembled to greet the
President."

"The Turkish-Americans responded in self-defense," the statement from
the Turkish embassy said, adding "We hope that, in the future,
appropriate measures will be taken to ensure that similar provocative
actions causing harm and violence do not occur."

But that account differs greatly from the sequence of events described
by protesters and video captured by the Voice of America Turkish
service they said was taken at the scene.

The bloody brawl outside the Turkish ambassador's residence Tuesday
sent nine to the hospital. Turkish security officials were seen coming
out of the ambassador's residence, then retreating to the residence
grounds, a law enforcement official said, adding that the same
scenario played out more than once.

Federal and local law enforcement are going through security video to
identify exactly who was involved.

The incident came as Trump extended a warm welcome to Erdogan, an
authoritarian-style leader who had a strained relationship with the
previous US administration.

"We've had a great relationship and we will make it even better,"
Trump said in the Oval Office as he sat beside Erdogan. "We look
forward to having very strong and solid discussions."

The anti-Erdogan protest was organized by Kurdish Americans, the
Armenian National Committee of America and supporters of the Peoples'
Democratic Party , a pro-Kurdish political party in Turkey.

A protest organizer tells CNN there were fewer than 25 protesters in total.

Flint Arthur, an anti-Erdogan protester, told CNN Tuesday that police
had them stand in a roundabout park across the street from Erdogan
supporters near the Turkish ambassador's residence.

"A few police officers stood between us," Flint said.

One observer told CNN the entire melee started when a plastic water
bottle was thrown; it's not clear by whom. CNN is not publishing the
name of that observer as they were not authorized to speak to the
media.

"After the police line broke, all fought with each other no matter if
they were officially on duty or civilian," said the observer.

Police were caught off guard, said another eyewitness, as Erdogan was
yet to arrive. CNN is not publishing the name of the eyewitness for
security concerns.

"I, myself, (saw) a Turkish bodyguard kicking a Kurdish protester,"
that eyewitness said. "An American police (officer was) trying to stop
him hitting (the protester) with a stick."

That Kurdish protester, in red pants, was Lucy Usoyan. After she was
hit with the flying water bottle, she said she remembers falling to
the ground.

"I could feel that someone was heavily beating my head and back," she
told CNN. Soon after, she lost consciousness.

In the Voice of America video, three men are seen kicking Usoyan. One
of the men is in a suit, the other two are in attire that Erdogan's
personal security detail wears-one appears to have a weapon holstered
on his side.

"I didn't expect it would be so violent," said Usoyan. "I had heard
many stories of protests in Turkey. But okay, that's Turkey."

Arthur told CNN that some of the men who attacked them were part of
the Turkish security detail.

"We were attacked by people in suits with earpieces in," he said.

Aram Hamparian, who works with the Armenian National Committee of
America, arrived just prior to the violence.

"(The Erdogan supporters) got very agitated," he told CNN on Tuesday.
"There was a lot of energy on that side. They crossed the line. They
ran around the police line. Crossed the circle and attacked the
protesters."

Hamparian said the individuals were, "very capable of beating people up."

"They were really well trained; some of the photos show that they had
weapons on them," he said; the Voice of America video appears to show
some individuals with sidearms.

"At some point, somebody on the Erdogan side, sent a bunch of security
folks," Hamparian added.

Some of the individuals, in the videos seen by CNN, also appear to be
wearing the same uniform as Erdogan's personal security detail. A CNN
analysis of photos shows the security detail at previous Erdogan
events wearing their uniform: a brown, unbuttoned shirt with a black
undershirt and beige pants.

"The guys were very violent," said Hamparian. "They knew what they
were doing. It wasn't like people wrestling in the street."

DC mayor condemns protest response

Mayor Muriel Bowser issued the following statement on Wednesday
morning: "What we saw yesterday -- a violent attack on a peaceful
demonstration -- is an affront to DC values and our rights as
Americans. I strongly condemn these actions and have been briefed by
Chief Newsham on our response. The Metropolitan Police Department will
continue investigating the incident and will work with federal
partners to ensure justice is served."

The Washington Fire and EMS Department's Twitter account said that
nine people were injured during the protests on Tuesday. Those injured
were taken to George Washington University Hospital and Georgetown
Hospital.

In a separate video from Voice of America, a very bloodied Erdogan
supporter is helped away from the scene. It's unclear how he received
these injuries.

The observer who was not authorized to talk to the media told CNN that
the individual was hit by a megaphone by anti-Erdogan protesters and
received 17 stitches to his head.

They say that when DC Police refused to arrest that anti-Erdogan
protester, it angered the crowd.

Hamparian tells CNN that injuries ranged from cuts and bruises, some
of which required stiches.

Despite Trump's greeting to the Turkish leader, the relationship has
been strained by the United States' refusal to extradite a Turkish
cleric living in Pennsylvania, whom Erdogan blames for orchestrating a
July coup attempt against him.

And the two countries are at odds over Trump's decision to arm Kurdish
militias that are helping in the fight to rout ISIS from its Syrian
stronghold in Raqqa. Turkey sees these militias as an extension of the
outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, which is considered a
terrorist group in the United States, Turkey and Europe.

I don't believe anyone will be charged, as usual it will be swiped under the carpet. I'm sure it will happen again.

USNEWS.com

May 17, 2017 Wednesday

Erdogan Guards Might Not Have Immunity to Beat Protesters in U.S.

by Steven Nelson

'You don't get immunity just because you say, 'I'm with the big guy,'
a former State Department adviser says.

Police in the nation's capital say diplomatic immunity won't keep them
from investigating a "brutal attack" on "peaceful protesters" Tuesday
by men believed to be bodyguards for visiting Turkish President Recep
Erdogan.

Four international law experts, three of them former legal advisers at
the State Department, tell U.S. News that if police identify the
assailants, they may be able to make criminal charges stick, even if
the men are on the Turkish government payroll.

Footage from the melee shows men mostly in suits, some reportedly
armed, bypassing police officers separating pro- and anti-Erdogan
activists. The men physically attack a group of protesters in Sheridan
Circle near the Turkish Embassy, repeatedly kicking some.

A police officer and 11 other people were injured, authorities say,
including one critically. The protest group included Armenian and
Kurdish activists opposed to Erdogan, two of whom were arrested in the
immediate aftermath. One was charged with aggravated assault and the
other with assaulting an officer.

Peter Newsham, chief of the Metropolitan Police Department in the
nation's capital, said at a press conference Wednesday that some of
the men being armed made controlling the situation difficult, perhaps
explaining why there were not more immediate arrests.

"We witnessed what appeared to be a brutal attack on peaceful
protesters," Newsham said, echoing condemnation from politicians and
the State Department a day after Erdogan's visit to the White House.

Newsham said police had high-quality footage of the incident and
already had a good idea of who some of the alleged attackers were. He
said the police department was in contact with the State Department
about the case.

"We are going to pursue everything that's within our legal power to
hold the folks that were responsible accountable for their actions,"
Newsham said.

"There could be a diplomatic immunity issue , but that won't prevent
us from doing what we need to do," he said. "That's not something that
we tolerate here in Washington, D.C."

Experts say diplomatic immunity isn't a permission slip for Erdogan's
security detail -- accused last year of "roughing up" protesters and
journalists outside a Brookings Institution event in Washington -- to
assault activists, and that some of the men may enjoy no legal
protection.

Stanford University law lecturer Allen Weiner says if he still was a
State Department legal adviser he would recommend D.C. police pursue
charges against the assailants if they were locally contracted
security guards or men traveling with Erdogan for the visit.

Immunity provided to visiting heads of state and some members of their
entourage "probably does not reach the security detail" traveling with
a foreign leader, Weiner says.

Watch: Footage of the attack:

Though visiting leaders and some members of their group are protected
by this customary immunity, workers at actual embassies and consulates
are protected through the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations,
which provides absolute immunity to ambassadors and senior diplomats.
Accredited technical and administrative staff are afforded more
limited immunity for official acts.

"You just have to figure out which box they are in," Weiner says about
permanent embassy or consular staff, which can be done by reviewing
State Department records to determine how such workers are classified.

U.S. Marines stationed at The Hague in the Netherlands, Weiner says,
do have absolute immunity. And if the Turkish guards even have limited
immunity, it's a "tricky question" about whether the attack on
protesters would be deemed part of their diplomatic role.

If any of the men enjoy diplomatic immunity, Weiner says, officials
"could ask the Turkish government" to waive the immunity so the men
could be prosecuted -- though there's no guarantee Turkey would agree,
as the U.S. itself is reluctant to do the same.

Georgetown University law professor David Stewart, a former assistant
legal adviser for diplomatic law and litigation in the State
Department, also could imagine charges against Erdogan guards under
certain circumstances.

"You don't get immunity just because you claim it. You don't get
immunity just because you say, 'I'm with the big guy.' You don't get
immunity just because you say, 'My passport says I'm important, I have
a diplomatic passport,'" he says.

"You get immunity if you are accepted by the government in a certain
status that entitles you to that immunity," he says, "and that's
typically a question of law -- for example, under the Vienna
Convention or our notion of international law."

Stewart says "this isn't just a question of abstract principles," but
rather a highly fact-specific question of law.

"The government is now trying to figure out, I'm sure, 'What are the
factual circumstances here? Who gets what immunity?'" he says. "I can
only imagine they've been doing it all day."

Stewart agrees with Weiner that embassy staff likely are immune from
prosecution if they have diplomatic accreditation with the State
Department. But he says "it is possible" members of Erdogan's
traveling entourage would have customary immunity if their names were
provided in advance to the State Department.

"Of course, you can imagine charges being filed," Stewart says. "If
these guys busted through the police line and beat up protesters,
that's a criminal offense. That's an assault."

"I would go so far as to say I would expect charges to be brought," he
adds. "Charges can be brought. The prosecutor would say, 'We're
bringing these charges.' The answer would be these guys are immune or
they are not immune."

George Washington University law professor Sean Murphy, another former
State Department legal adviser, stresses in an email that "you don't
get [diplomatic immunity] just because you are a foreign government
official."

Murphy says "persons based at the Turkish Embassy who have been
accredited have certain privileges and immunities under the [Vienna
Convention], but persons traveling as part of a foreign government
delegation do not, unless there was some special agreement struck
between the U.S. and the foreign government in advance (which I doubt
was done)."

Ruth Wedgwood, a professor of international law and diplomacy at Johns
Hopkins University, says she could imagine a situation in which a
diplomatically accredited guard stationed at the embassy could be
prosecuted.

"If you have absolute immunity, your body gets to be immune until it's
put on an airplane," she says.

But if you have immunity only for official acts, Wedgwood adds , "You
can't say, 'I feel like busting your nose, that's an official act, I'm
doing it!'"

"If you're going in there because you don't like them Kurds and you're
going in to smash heads and teach them a lesson, that's not an
official act," she says.

Steven Nelson is a reporter at U.S. News & World Report. You can
follow him on Twitter or reach him at snelson@usnews.com

Ceren Borazan, a 26-year-old student in New Jersey, told BuzzFeed News that one of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's bodyguards held her neck and threatened to kill her during Tuesday's clash outside the Turkish Embassy in DC.

At least 12 people were injured, including one police officer, when the peaceful protest turned into a brawl involving Turkish security personnel, the State Department confirmed.

Two people were arrested at the scene of the altercation, which erupted after Erdogan met with President Trump at the White House. Pro- and anti-Erdogan protesters were gathered outside the embassy, where men in black suits were seen attacking demonstrators.

Authorities, including the mayor, police, and State Department, condemned the violent attack against the peaceful protesters. The State Department also said it was "communicating our concern to the Turkish government in the strongest possible terms."

The Turkish Embassy, meanwhile, released a statement blaming the violence on demonstrators who "began aggressively provoking" Turkish-American citizens who had assembled to greet Erdogan.

Borazan said that she was the woman in the photo widely shared on social media, that showed a man in a black suit grabbing her by the neck.

Borazan — a Kurd from Turkey who came to the US in 2013 — told BuzzFeed News that she and the others were at the protest "to make our voices heard."

"But suddenly Erdogan's bodyguards — I'm pretty sure it was them — attacked all of us," she said.

Borazan added that she saw some of the men in the suits with guns in their jackets. Police also said that some of the people involved in the altercation were carrying firearms.

Borazan also described the altercation in a Facebook post, adding that she was afraid for her life.

"My Kurdish friends and allies were protesting peacefully against Erdogan being in Washington when were suddenly attacked by a group of Erdogan's official bodyguards and secret police."

Audiovisual analysis of footage recorded at the Turkish embassy on Tuesday sheds light on the verbal commands given by Turkey’s president prior to his bodyguards’ attack on a group of Kurdish protesters.

A professional sound editor named Salih Ferad conducted the analysis on behalf of The Daily Caller.

Using noise reduction and volume enhancement techniques, Ferad determined that Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s security detail shouted out the phrases “he says attack” and “come, come, come” as they charged the protesters.

The battle cries came just after Erdogan appeared to relay orders to his personal bodyguard while sitting in the back of a black Mercedes Benz outside of the embassy.

In video of that scene, recorded by Voice of America Turkish news service, Erdogan’s bodyguard stands up from the Mercedes and appears to relay a message to another man who was positioned closer to the street level action. The man then turns and rushes quickly in the direction of the protests. Shouting is heard, and Erdogan’s security staff was seen storming the protesters. (RELATED: Video Emerges Of Erdogan Watching As His Goons Attack Protesters)

Erdogan’s security detail won the street battle. Suit-clad men from the pro-Erdogan side of the fracas were recorded kicking protesters in the head and choking others. Nine people were injured, one seriously.

The incident has increased tensions between the U.S. and Turkish governments. It also comes as Erdogan is in the midst of a crackdown on dissenters at home.

Using noise isolation techniques, Ferad says that the words “dalın diyor, servet abi dalın diyor” can be heard coming from the presidential guard just after Erdogan is seen speaking with his bodyguard.

That translates to “he says attack servet abi, he says attack.” Another translation of the phrase is “he says dive in” or “plunge in.”

“Servet” is the name of the person being addressed, and “abi” translates to the term of endearment, “older brother.”

In a second video recorded in the middle of the brawl, Erdogan’s men are heard yelling “gel gel gel” — “come, come, come” — and “dalın diyor dalın diyor dalın diyor,” or “he says attack.”

Ferad included timestamps and captions in the videos he analyzed.

The State Department has said it is investigating the incident and also issued a statement condemning the Turkish government “in the strongest possible terms.”

The embassy responded by claiming that Erdogan’s protection detail was acting in “self-defense” against the protesters, which the Turkish government claims were terrorists associated with PKK, a left-wing Kurdish political party.

Several lawmakers blasted Erdogan and his goons. The video of Erdogan hanging out in his Mercedes and apparently ordering the onslaught also led to widespread outrage on social media.

Arizona Sen. John McCain said in an interview on Thursday that the U.S. government should throw Turkey’s ambassador, Serdar Kilic, “the hell out of the United States of America.”

In one video recorded of Tuesday’s events, Kilic is seen confronting a Washington, D.C. police officer who was trying to break up the street fight.

Editor's note: Marc J. Randazza is a Las Vegas-based First Amendment attorney and managing partner of the Randazza Legal Group. The opinions expressed in this commentary are his own.

(CNN)Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is notoriously thin-skinned when it comes to criticism. His censorious nature boiled over this week when his security detail viciously attacked protesters on Tuesday outside the Turkish embassy in Washington. Video shows Erdoğan speaking to the black-suited agents before they rushed the protesters in a coordinated attack and watching the violence. It was brutal -- with the agents punching protesters and kicking them while they were on the ground.

We have our own censorship-minded individuals who want to shut down debate. It is worrisome when an American professor allegedly violates the Constitution by calling for "muscle" to get rid of journalists. It is even worse when Americans physically attack other Americans for their political views.

But Tuesday's attack at the Turkish embassy is all of those things rolled into one, with a side serving foreign aggression and a revived terrorism narrative.

Speaking to a joint session of Congress after September 11, George W. Bush said that terrorists hate our freedoms: "our freedom of speech, our freedom to vote and assemble and disagree with each other." At the time, I thought (and still do think) that his rhetoric was harmful. But, today, I nonetheless think it's a fair description of the Turkish president and his goon squad.

Here in America those freedoms are increasingly under attack. Our own Left wants to do away with them when it comes to Right wing speech. Our own government encroaches on them when the Left protests in ways they don't like. But at least those are "inside the family" so to speak. These examples are Americans behaving badly, but at least they, unlike what happened outside the Turkish embassy are not a disgusting affront to our cherished liberties and our sovereignty. To have agents of a foreign power doing violence to American citizens in the streets of our nation's capital is unforgivable. For us not to respond would be a national disgrace.

Some have blamed this incident on President Trump and his chummy relationship with the Turkish leader. Of course, many of those voices would blame him if a distant star went supernova. But this is not a Donald Trump issue. Something similar happened under George W. Bush as well, when activist Majora Carter pulled out a Tibetan flag while running with the Olympic torch in San Francisco. For that, Chinese security forces attacked her, with the assistance of San Francisco police. Our government's response then was silence.

This time around, we must not be silent. The Turkish ambassador was summoned to the State Department Wednesday, but that is not enough. If the guards who beat the protestors do not have diplomatic immunity, they must be prosecuted, and the Trump administration should take the strongest possible measures against the Turkish mission in DC. I understand that Turkey is an important ally, but what use are our alliances if they do not serve the cause of preserving our freedom? As The Dude wisely said in the dark comedy "The Big Lebowski," "This aggression will not stand, man."

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Erdoğan is out of control when it comes to censorship. A man who depicted him as Gollum, a character from Lord of the Rings, was criminally prosecuted. If he wants to behave that way at home, that's one thing -- we have no need to respect him. But when he and his guards behave this way on American soil, the hammer must come down. The situation demands that we make it clear, once and for all, that we will not set aside our liberty or our sovereignty for any foreign censorious goon.

American activists opposed to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan want to know if he personally ordered the violent disruption of a protest Tuesday in the U.S. capital, and say President Donald Trump needs to stand up for them.

Video released Thursday shows that Erdogan watched his supporters, including members of his security detail, charge toward protesters in the grassy Sheridan Circle, punching and kicking them before police restored order.

Just before chaos erupted, an aide bent over Erdogan, who was seated in the back seat of a car in the driveway of the Turkish ambassador's home. The aide communicated with another man who ran toward protesters. Seconds later, Erdogan supporters were breaking through the police line.

The city’s chief of police called it “a brutal attack on peaceful protesters" and prosecutors are weighing possible charges. American politicians and the State Department condemned the attack, calling it as an unacceptable suppression of free speech rights.

"If you can show President Erdogan ordered the attacks, some countries would consider that an act of war," says Lacy MacAuley, an anti-Erdogan activist who led a small Friday protest at the scene of the clash.

MacAuley, who says she was assaulted by Turkish security in a separate incident blocks away Tuesday, pointed a megaphone at the Turkish ambassador's residence Friday and shouted "Erdogan is a fascist!"

Ruken Isik, a Kurdish-American U.S. citizen who was in Sheridan Circle Tuesday with her 4-year-old son, also wants to know if Erdogan ordered the attack.

"We never expected something like this to happen in the U.S. Our president should say something," Isik says. "Can you imagine Trump going to Turkey and giving an order to his bodyguards to attack people? People who are not even violent?"

I met my future best friend in a history class at UCLA. She was a board member of the Armenian Students Association and she educated me on the Armenian Genocide and the powerful Turkish lobby. I was initially skeptical, as this was the first time I had heard of this. But when we both rallied in the annual March for Justice, my skepticism washed away, as Turkish counter-protesters aggressively shouted at us on the street that “Mount Ararat will always be part of Turkey” and that the “the genocide is a lie.”

A screenshot from a video of the attack, captured by Voice of America’s Turkish service (Photo: Voice of America)

As an American Muslim Iranian with Persian and Turkish heritage, it is my duty to help dispel myths and historical inaccuracies that exist in my communities. My passion for advocating for Armenian issues is rooted in the Islamic values of peace, compassion, and mercy. These principles have compelled me to speak out against historical injustices.

The brutal violence that erupted in Washington, D.C. a few days ago enraged me. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s security guards savagely kicked and beat up peaceful American protesters. My Turkish friends on Facebook and Turkish media claimed that the protesters deserved to be beaten, since they were affiliated with “PKK terrorists.” In fact, these protesters were American citizens practicing their First Amendment rights in their own country.

As Aram Hamparian said, “It’s one thing for there to be this kind of violence in Turkey, that’s a terrible thing. It’s far worse for that violence to be exported to America.” If these men felt comfortable brutalizing American citizens on foreign soil despite the presence of our law enforcement, imagine the potential to commit acts of violence that these same people have when they are unrestrained back in their home country. I shudder to think about how they treat their own people when they do not have the attention of the international community.

Earlier that day, U.S. President Trump claimed that it was “a great honor to welcome the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the White House.” The silence from the administration is deafening. Where is the outrage in his tweets? Where is the angry press statement condemning the actions of these thugs? Is he really going to allow Turkish henchmen to attack our own people on American soil without any punishment?

While he cozies up to an oppressive authoritarian who is leading the way to dictatorship, Americans are assaulted and brutalized by Erdogan’s goons…

But we cannot allow for Turkey to go unpunished.

Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren is absolutely correct: these henchmen need to be arrested and have their diplomatic visas revoked. President Trump and the State Department must act on Senators John McCain and Claire McCaskill’s call to throw the Turkish Ambassador out of the country. Trump has a number of options at his disposal and it is his job to ensure that this does not happen again.

The tension between these communities cannot be alleviated without first addressing the elephant in the room—the Armenian Genocide. Considering Turkey’s dark history of mistreating its minorities, Turks have the moral responsibility to condemn this recent act of barbarism. We must create a broad coalition aimed to bridge the divide between the Turkish community and Armenian, Kurdish, Greek, and Assyrian communities.

And most of all, the Turkish community must come to terms with the fact that recognizing the Armenian Genocide is not a matter of insulting Turkishness, but a matter of objective, historical fact.

THE STATEMENT issued by the Turkish Embassy trying to justify the actions of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s bodyguards at a protest outside the ambassador’s residence is almost as outrageous as the violence that occurred Tuesday. It is replete with half-truths and outright lies. But it serves a perverse purpose: providing unvarnished insight into the mind-set of Turkey’s authoritarian government, where reason and the rule of law have been supplanted by the dictates and propaganda of Mr. Erdogan.

The sickening images of protesters being chased, kicked and bloodied by black-suited members of Mr. Erdogan’s security detail have, by now, been widely circulated and, we hope, implanted in public awareness as a stark example of the kind of oppression people in Turkey suffer on a daily basis. Breaking its silence amid mounting criticism (including the Turkish ambassador being summoned to the State Department for a meeting), the embassy Wednesday night released an unrepentant statement that shamelessly tried to blame the protesters. The release claimed the demonstrators were affiliated with the PKK, a group designated by the United States and Turkey as a terrorist organization, and that, lacking a permit, they had aggressively provoked Turkish Americans who had gathered to greet Mr. Erdogan.

It first should be pointed out that the protesters, their right to dissent protected by the U.S. Constitution, needed no permit and were breaking no rules. Demonstrations on public sidewalks are permitted without a permit as long as they don’t block the walkway and fewer than 100 people are expected. Tuesday’s protesters numbered about two dozen and, according to organizers, had no involvement or affinity with the PKK (and even if they did, that would be a matter for American law enforcement, not Mr. Erdogan’s goons). The group included women, children and elderly people.

It is apparent that the only threat posed by the protesters was their message of dissent against Mr. Erdogan. A video that surfaced on social media Thursday shows the melee breaking out with Mr. Erdogan smugly watching. Audible are chants of “Terrorist Erdogan” and “Baby-killer Erdogan.” Signs carried by some Kurdish activists expressed support for jailed Erdogan opponents: “Free Selahattin Demirtas” and “Free Figen Yuksekdag,” co-leaders of the third-largest political party in Turkey, the HDP. The embassy’s bogus claim that the violence was the result of Erdogan supporters acting in self-defense is refuted by the videos, which show the bodyguards as aggressors as D.C. police try to separate them from protesters, and by the fact that some members of the detail were detained by authorities before being released on grounds of diplomatic immunity.

What occurred Tuesday, D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham unequivocally told us, was “an unexpected assault on peaceful protesters.” It is infuriating then that the Turkish government — rather than apologizing for its unlawful behavior — has the temerity to say that it hopes “in the future, appropriate measures” will be taken to prevent violence. Here’s an idea: Mr. Erdogan and his thugs can stay home.

It's time to end talking and act upon it, otherwise it's just a waste of time.

The Armenian Weekly

May 21 2017

The Escalating Outrage Over Turkish Attack on Peaceful Protesters

By Contributor on May 21, 2017

Social Networks, Congressional Condemnations, Criminal Investigations, and Major Media Interest Drive Unprecedented American Criticism of Turkish Government

WASHINGTON—Congressional outrage over Turkey President Recep Erdogan security team’s brutal beat-down of peaceful protesters in Washington, D.C. continues to grow as new video emerged showing that Erdogan appears to have ordered the attack, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

A growing number of Senate and House leaders are calling for action following the May 16th attacks by President Erdogan’s security detail on peaceful protesters in Washington, D.C.

The May 16 incident has sparked global interest with the ANCA’s live video used by CNN, AP, Reuters, and over 300 news sites in the U.S. alone, and viewed by tens-of-millions of worldwide.

“We welcome the strong protests by members of the U.S. Senate and House against Erdogan’s efforts to export his government’s brutality to Washington, D.C.,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “As Senator McCain and others have said, Turkey’s Ambassador needs to be expelled at once. We would add that Ankara must immediately issue a blanket waiver of diplomatic immunity, allowing the thugs who attacked American citizens – our friends and allies – to be brought to justice. And Erdogan himself needs to offer a full and formal apology to those injured in this assault, to the City of Washington, the government of the United States, and the American people.”

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.) has been outspoken on ABC Nightly News and MSNBC’s ‘Morning Joe,’ where he stated, in no uncertain terms, “We should throw [Turkey’s] Ambassador the hell out of the United States of America. This isn’t Turkey or a third world country. This kind of thing cannot go unresponded to diplomatically,” he added.

Sen. McCain joined Senate Intelligence Committee Ranking Democrat Dianne Feinstein (Calif.) in sending a letter to President Erdogan stating “The actions of your staff violate the constitutional protections of freedom of the press and freedom of assembly enjoyed by all Americans. […] Your staff’s blatant violation of these rights on American soil is an affront to those freedoms and reflects poorly on your government.”

Senate leaders—Republicans and Democrats alike—issued statements and took to social media condemning the attacks.

Rhode Island Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D) referenced the Turkish government’s gag-rule on U.S. reaffirmation of the Armenian Genocide, noting, “Turk thugs assault U.S. diplomatic security and flee country—for these people we won’t say Armenian Genocide?” His colleague, Senate Armed Services Committee Ranking Democrat Jack Reed (R.I.) demanded “Those members of the security detail involved in the attacks should be disciplined and the Trump Administration must make it clear to all embassies in the United States that our laws protect protesters and their right to peaceful assembly and free speech.”

The Senior Democrat of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ben Cardin (Md.) tweeted that “The Turkish government owes an apology; perhaps they forgot we have unalienable rights in this country,” calling the foreign security forces attack on American citizens “unacceptable.”

The Senior Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) told MSNBC that “We should say, very strongly, that is not the way we do things in America.”

Senators Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) issued a statement calling for an immediate apology from the Turkish Government. “Reports indicate that some Turkish officials were involved in assaulting protesters, which violates the most basic rules of democracy and is an affront to the United States and the value we place on the right to free speech, as embodied in our Constitution,” wrote the Senators. “We call upon the Turkish government to apologize immediately for the involvement of any officials.”

Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse ® said, “President Erdogan, you would do well to remember that this country is built on free speech, free religion, free press, & freedom to protest.”

Members of the House of Representatives were equally strident in condemning the attacks by Erdogan’s security detail.

House Foreign Relations Committee chairman Ed Royce (R-Calif.), in a letter to Secretary of State Tillerson and Attorney General Jeff Sessions, called for an immediate investigation, noting, “Agents of foreign governments should never be immune from prosecution for felonious behavior. Above all else, they should never be permitted to violate the protection afforded by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.”

House Foreign Affairs Committee member Don Beyer (D-Va.) called on President Trump to “immediately expel the Turkish Ambassador to the United States. President Erdogan’s attacks on human rights and democratic institutions in Turkey are disgraceful, but condoning such attacks on American soil betrays our deepest values.” Rep. Beyer, who served as U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland and Lichtenstein from 2009-2103, went on to note that “As someone who has represented my country abroad as an ambassador, I have a special appreciation for the vital role that envoys play and the expectations for honorable behavior that come with responsibility. These actions fall grievously short of that standard, and the U.S. must take a stand.”

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), stated “Erdogan is busy turning his own country into an authoritarian state, but he needs to know that his thugs are not welcome here and that there will be consequences for this attack.”

House Intelligence Committee Ranking Democrat Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), decried the White House silence on the attacks, stating, “it cannot go unanswered. There must be consequences for the individuals who attacked protesters exercising their First Amendment rights, and they should be identified and questioned before they leave the country.”

Congressional Armenian Caucus founder and co-Chair Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), in a letter to President Trump, explained, “It needs to be made explicitly clear, from the highest level of our government, that bullying and brutality towards peaceful protesters will not be tolerated in this country – even from visiting heads of state. It also needs to be assured that your White House staff will comply fully with efforts to identify Turkish security forces who violated U.S. law, and allow justice to be pursued unfettered.”

Congressional Armenian Caucus Republican Co-Chair Dave Trott (R-Mich.) called the attacks “unacceptable,” noting “while this incident is reflective of the Turkish government’s broad suppression of democracy, this is the United States and these overt acts of violence against those expressing their First Amendment right will not be tolerated.”

Similarly, fellow Republican Co-Chair David Valadao (R-Calif.) explained, “Our Constitution guarantees our citizens the right to free speech and it’s important for those in our country to respect our laws. These violent attacks not only broke our law, but violated our shared American values.”

Senior House Foreign Affairs Committee member Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) tweeted to Turkey’s President Erdogan, “your common practice of violence against peaceful protesters must stop. It is unacceptable anywhere, especially, in the U.S.”

Rep. James McGovern (D-MA), Co-Chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, tweeted, “Cozying up to dictators is shameful & now it’s put Americans in danger.”

Central Valley California Congressman Jim Costa (D) called the attacks “outrageous” and condemned them, and called for immediate action. “Our American President should take appropriate diplomatic and legal action against these Turkish thugs for their violence towards the Armenian, Kurdish, Yezidi, and other human rights demonstrators. If he does so, I believe he will find overwhelming bipartisan support in the U.S. Congress,” said Rep. Costa.

Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) called President Erdogan “an authoritarian and an oppressor,” an went on to note, “It was unwise for President Trump to meet with him. Now the United States needs to send a strong message that we will not stand by as Erdogan brings the same thuggish tactics to our nation’s capital.”

Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) demanded “The Erdogan government must be held to account immediately and apologize for their anti-democratic violence. The men responsible for this brutality should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. At the very least, this good squad should be declared persona non grata and removed from the country forever.”

Hawaii Democrat, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard tweeted, “Erdogan is so accustomed to beating up protestors in Turkey, evidently he thinks he can get away with such tactics here too – Outrageous.” She went on to call on President Trump to take action. “President Trump, are you really going to allow Erdogan’s goons to beat up American citizens on American soil?”

District of Columbia Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton called on Secretary of State Tillerson to “bar any Turkish official who committed, encouraged, facilitated or otherwise participated in the assaults from reentering the United States if they have already left the country and expel any that remain in the country.”

Earlier in the week, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser called the attacks, “an affront to D.C. values and our rights as Americans.” D.C. Chief of Police Peter Newsham condemned the attacks and announced, “we have every intention to pursue charges against the other individual involved.”

ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian was videotaping live at the scene of the May 16th attack, which took place in front of the Turkish Ambassador’s residence where President Erdogan was scheduled to have a closed door meeting with representatives of The Atlantic Council, a leading think tank in Washington D.C., which receives funding from Turkey.

Hamparian’s video showed pro-Erdogan forces crossing a police line and beating peaceful protesters—elderly men and several women—who were on the ground bleeding during most of the attack.

Voice of America Turkish division, in their video coverage shot from the vantage point of the Turkish Ambassador’s house, reported that the attackers belonged to President Erdogan’s security detail and were responsible for escalating the violence.

“The fights flared up after President Erdogan’s arrival at the Embassy residence,” reported Voice of America. “After the first bout of fights died down, Erdogan’s special security forces joined the second stage of fights. Fisticuffs and kicks ensued. The Washington Police Forces had great difficulty in preventing the fights. They had to use batons against Erdogan’s security forces.”

The Washington Post has done a second-by-second analysis of the VOA Turkish videos and identified the Erdogan’s order of the attack, available here: http://wapo.st/2qCRjjD

Since reporting on the attacks by President Erdogan’s security forces, the ANCA has been receiving threatening phone calls and messages on social media. These intimidation tactics have been reported to the Metropolitan Police and other authorities and are under investigation.

The protests in front of the Turkish Ambassador’s house were a continuation of a demonstration held earlier in the day in front of the White House, co-hosted by the ANCA, as President Trump met with President Erdogan. Human rights and religious rights groups were joined by representatives of the Kurdish, Yezidi and Armenian communities to call attention to the Erdogan regime’s escalating repression against free press, the Kurdish and other ethnic communities, as well as, Turkey’s ongoing denial of the Armenian Genocide.